Household cleaning products on the growth of house plants

Household cleaning products on the growth of house plants

Introduction

Do household owners use special hazardous waste disposal services as health officers recommend? Common household cleaning products include detergents which help in the removal of dirt and foreign matter from contaminated clothes, surface, toilets, and utensils, among others. The detergents are common in homes and industries and help in the dispensation of oil spills as well as pesticide formulations, among others (Yahaya, Okpuzor, and Oladele 638). Currently, a lot of changes occur in the formation of household cleaning products, with the majority of the substances becoming soluble in water while others are in liquid form. Household detergents can contain various chemicals and vague ingredients. Homeowners might worry about such chemicals, and their effects on household plants as such chemicals dilute when they enter the water supply or wastages and become dangerous to plants if spilled, sprayed, or accidentally watered to plants (Yahaya, Okpuzor, and Oladele 638).

Exploration

1. Abstract

The present study attempts to prove that household cleaning products have chemicals that have negative impacts on the germination, development, and growth of household plants. The researcher grew five plants, namely Peperomia, Nephrolepis Duffy, Tradescantia, Sanseveria, and Mimosa Pudica, in a germinating environment to different household products solutions at an increasing concentration to impact on the success of germination. Thus, the researcher used six household cleaning products on the plants, namely soapy water (40ml), dishwasher spray (5 ml), shower cleaner spray (5 ml), multi-purpose spray (5ml), detergent spray (5ml) and water (20ml) on the plants. The experiment shows interesting results that include leaf loss on Tradescantia and Mimosa Pudica, leaf discoloration on Sanseveria, and Mimosa Pudica and plant growth on Nephrolepis Duffy. The researcher hypothesizes that household cleaning products (increasing concentration) have negative impacts on the germination (rate of seed germination) and the growth of household plants. Therefore, the presence of the household cleaning detergents in watering the household plants significantly affected the germination of the plants with observable results on leaf loss, discoloration of the leaves, and overall growth of the plants with the increasing concentration of the household cleaning products on the plants. The Peperomia plant seeds were less tolerant of the household cleaning products as the plants did not grow; hence, there was no indication of leaf loss, no leaf discoloration, and plant growth.

1. The relevance of the study

The researcher notes that the study is crucial at the moment as many common households contain potentially hazardous chemicals and substances disposed of through pouring them down, spraying, or even using their wastes to water household plants. Moreover, such chemicals pollute the ecosystem as they seep down to the soil water that plants depend on.

1. Materials

The researcher used large beverage cups, soil, plant seeds (Peperomia, Nephrolepis Duffy, Tradescantia, Sanseveria, and Mimosa Pudica), and household cleaning products (soapy water, dishwasher spray, shower cleaner spray, multi-purpose spray, detergent spray, and water).

After setting the plants in their respective containers for germination using the different chemicals, the researcher setup the control experiment involving the use of only water for germination of the seeds of the same plants on separate containers. The researcher used the same amount of water to water the plants in the control experiment until germination while changing the concentration of the household cleaning products on the other containers set for the examination.

1. Method

The researcher used six containers and filled with the same type and quantity of soil and planted the seeds in every container. Secondly, the researcher used different household cleaning products of different quantities mixed together and to 80 ml and irrigated the plants daily with the same amount of products for two weeks. The concentration of the detergents was as follows;

1. Soap water (40ml)
2. Dishwasher spray (5 ml)

• Shower cleaner spray (5 ml)

1. Multi-purpose spray (5ml)
2. Detergent spray (5ml)
3. Water (20ml)

The researcher noted the observations on the plants from the onset of germination to after 14 days.

1. Results

The researcher anticipated at the beginning of the experiment that the household cleaning agents will have negative impacts on the germination, development, and growth of the household plants. Thus, the researcher hypothesized that;

H₁:

Household cleaning products (increasing concentration) have negative impacts on the germination (rate of seed germination) and the growth rate of household plants.

Table 1: Results of household plants after exposure to different household cleaning products

The X sign in the table means no level of damage to plants, while the tick in the table means high levels of damage to the plant.

The experiment took two weeks, and the results at present indicate the following:

1. Peperomia did not germinate hence there were no results for the leaf loss, no leaf discoloration due to failure to germinate hence no overall plant growth
2. Nephrolepis Duffy has no leaf loss, no leaf discoloration but indicated overall plant growth
3. Tradescantia showed leaf loss, no leaf discoloration, and no overall plant growth
4. Sanseveria indicated no leaf loss, presence of leaf discoloration and no overall plant growth
5. Mimosa Pudica shows leaf loss, has leaf discoloration and no overall plant growth

Observations

The researcher noted that all the plants treated with only water without any other household cleaning product showed good germination with no leaf loss, no leaf discoloration, and good overall growth. However, an increase in the irrigation of the plants with household detergents led to the reduction of the plant mass after seven days post the germination.

Table 2: Result showing the change in mass (grams) of the household plants at germination and after seven days of germination

Analysis and discussion

Figure 1: Bar graph showing the change in mass (grams) of the household plants at germination and after seven days of germination

Table 3: Growth rate (%) with increasing concentration of household cleaning products

The results indicated on the bar graphs and tables above show that the household cleaning products at the varying concentrations affect the plants in different ways. However, the extent of the effects on the plants varied in terms of germination masses, leaf discoloration, and leaf loss leading to differences in growth. Saeed and colleagues noted that plants respond differently, and the effects of household cleaning products such as detergents are not the same Saeed et al. 115). The analysis of the household cleaning products used for irrigating the plants indicates that such substances increase the toxicity of the soil with varied ions as the soil composition changes in terms of the nutrients and alkalinity, which interfere with the growth and overall development (Sawadogo et al. 117).

Separately, Heidari conducted an investigation on the germination of seeds after their irrigation with household detergent. The author noted that the rate of germination of seeds of plants dropped. The germination process dropped due to the presence of such detergents in the soil water used for irrigation. Thus, Heidari concluded that such reduction in seed germination occurred due to the high doses of detergents that bring about oxidative stress responsible for lipid peroxidation and increase in cell membrane permeability to toxic ions (Heidari 86).

Elsewhere, Yahaya and colleagues on their experiment on plant germination studies noted a reduction in the chlorophyll content on the leaves with yellow and brown color pigments that resulted in plants due to the inhibitory effects of the toxicants on chlorophyll synthesis (Yahaya, Okpuzor, and Oladele 638).

Also, Wafa’a noted that impacts such as leaf drops, leaf discoloration, and slow growth arise due to the presence of sodium in contaminated water that inhibits enzyme activities resulting in an unbalanced uptake of nutrients (Wafa’a 640).

Conclusion and Recommendation

The results from the experiment indicated that there were significant changes in the plants with the concentration of high household cleaning products. The plants showed poor germination, and their growth had a drastic reduction, with some failing to germinate. Such results happened due to the concentration of the chemicals such as salt, surfactants, among others, in the solutions used to water the plants. Although some plants indicate high rates of growth with the low concentration of the cleaning products as they contributed to nutrient levels, the regular continual use of the products led to leaf fall, leaf discoloration and poor growth. Therefore, the researcher recommends that household owners should check the water they use to irrigate the household plants to determine that they have no chemicals or detergents and treat the contaminated water before using such to irrigate the plants.

Works Cited

Heidari, Hassan. “Effect of irrigation with contaminated water by cloth detergent on seed germination traits and early growth of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.).” Notulae Scientia Biologicae 5.1 (2013): 86-89.

Saeed, Rafat, Ameer Ahmed Mirbahar, and Bushreen Jahan. “EFFECT OF GREYWATER (SOAP WATER) IRRIGATION ON GROWTH AND ROOT NODULES OF MEDICINAL PLANT (SESBANIA GRANDIFLORA) L.” FUUAST Journal of Biology 5.1 (2015): 115-121.

Sawadogo, B., Sou, M., Hijikata, N., Sangare, D., Hama, A., and Funamizu, N. (2014). Effect of Detergents from Greywater on Irrigated Plants: Case of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) and Lettuce (Lactuca sativa). Journal of Arid Land Studies, 24 (1): 117-120.

Wafa’a, A. “Comparative Effects of Drought and Salt Stress on Germination and Seedling Growth of Pennisetum divisum (Gmel.) Henr.” American Journal of Applied Sciences 7.5 (2010): 640-646.

Yahaya, T., J. Okpuzor, and E. O. Oladele. “Investigation of toxicity of detergents.” Journal of Environmental Science and Technology 4.6 (2011): 638-645.